EQBaseGuide
Virtual surround sound on a Mac
Last updated: October 3, 2026 · By Taha Bozdemir, who builds EQBase
For true virtual surround on headphones, use Apple's Spatial Audio if you have recent AirPods, or Boom 3D's 3D Surround on any headphones. EQBase doesn't do virtual surround: its Spatial pane (Pro) adds headphone crossfeed and a simulated room, which make stereo sound more like speakers in front of you without pretending to be a surround system.
Which one fits your headphones
- Recent AirPods, supported apps: Apple's Spatial Audio, built into macOS and free. It surrounds you with supported films, shows and music, and can follow your head.
- Any headphones, everything you play: Boom 3D's 3D Surround, a virtual surround system that Global Delight says works with any headphones, with a level for each virtual speaker and for the subwoofer.
- Any headphones, natural stereo rather than surround: EQBase's crossfeed and room simulation, for long listening where hard-panned mixes tire you out.
Spatial Audio with AirPods
Apple's Spatial Audio on a Mac needs a Mac with Apple silicon on macOS 12.3 or later and AirPods 3, AirPods 4, AirPods 5, AirPods Pro or AirPods Max, per Apple's AirPods guide (checked October 2, 2026). To turn it on:
- Connect your AirPods to the Mac, put them on, and start playing something in a supported app. Spatial Audio is set per app, and Apple notes it isn't available for all apps or content.
- Click the AirPods icon in the menu bar. If it isn't there, open System Settings, click Menu Bar, and below Menu Bar Controls select Sound.
- Below Spatial Audio, choose Fixed for surround that stays put, or Head Tracked to have the sound follow the movement of your head. Off turns both off.
Boom 3D on any headphones
Boom 3D's 3D Surround is the option that is not tied to AirPods or to supported apps: Global Delight says it works with any headphones, with a level for each virtual speaker and for the subwoofer. Boom 3D is an enhancer by design, built to make audio sound bigger and more exciting rather than more accurate, and that is what its surround is for. It works by making itself your Mac's output device, so don't run it alongside another system-wide processor. EQBase vs Boom 3D covers the rest, including where Boom 3D is the better buy and what it costs.
Crossfeed and a room in EQBase
EQBase has no virtual surround. What it has, on any headphones and in every app, is the natural-stereo alternative, in Pro:
- Choose Spatial in the sidebar.
- Turn on Headphone Crossfeed. It blends a little of each channel into the other ear, like speakers in a room; Crossfeed cutoff and Crossfeed separation set how wide and how strong.
- For a sense of space, turn on Spatial Audio, pick Small Room, Medium Room, Large Room, Concert Hall or Cathedral, and set Intensity. The original sound is never made quieter; the room is added on top.
What to expect, and fixes
Spatial Audio makes supported content seem to come from around you, and Head Tracked keeps it anchored as you turn. Crossfeed moves hard-panned instruments from inside your head to out in front; a room adds space but no rear channels.
- Use one at a time. Apple's Spatial Audio, Boom 3D's surround and EQBase's room each reshape the same signal, and two of them stack.
- Voices turn distant or echoey: lower Intensity or turn the room off.
- Spatial Audio is missing from the AirPods menu: the app or the content doesn't support it.
Surround in games
Games already place sounds in the stereo field. A 3D or reverb effect on top, whether Boom 3D's 3D surround or EQBase's Spatial room simulation, adds space at the cost of precise positioning, so turn it off for competitive play. Wireless headphones also add their own delay after any effect has done its work; Mac equalizer latency covers the settings that keep video and games in sync.
Related
EQBase vs Boom 3D · Headphone correction on a Mac · Headphone EQ settings for Mac · Mac equalizer latency, for video and games